Relationship between empathy, compassion and Burnout in medical students, residents and medical professionals in Medellin

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.22335/rlct.v14i3.1644

Keywords:

empathy, compassion, Burnout, Physicians, medical students

Abstract

Physicians are exposed to high levels of work pressure, which leads to a higher risk of Burnout. Empathy is the cognitive and affective recognition of a person's state of mind and situation. Compassion is a response to the recognition of the patient's suffering and the desire to reduce it. Objectives: to explore the relationship between empathy, compassion and Burnout in medical students and professionals and other variables related to the syndrome. Method: 143 physicians and students answered a sociodemographic questionnaire, the MBI, the TECA, and the Compassionate Commitment and Action Scale. Results: 41.9 % showed high levels of emotional exhaustion, 21 % depersonalization and 19.5 % low levels of accomplishment. Burnout levels were negatively associated with the perception of balance between social, family and work life, compassion and age; F(5, 92) = 11.012, p < 0.00; (p < 0.05). Emotional fatigue interrupted the development of behaviors related to self-compassion and confirmed the perception of success. Conclusions: For physicians to have optimal levels of affective empathy and compassion, the development of cognitive empathy and emotional regulation skills is essential. These are protective factors for Burnout.

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Author Biographies

  • Elena Suárez Cadavid, Universidad EAFIT

    Psicóloga. 

  • Mariantonia Lemos, Universidad EAFIT

    Psicóloga. Maestría en Psicología. Doctorado en psicología.

  • Erika Patricia Ruiz González, Universidad Pontificia Bolivariana

    Psicóloga. Magister en evaluación psicológica.

  • Alicia Krikorian, Universidad Pontificia Bolivariana

    Grupo de dolor y cuidado paliativo, Escuela de Ciencias de la Salud. Psicóloga. Especialista en terapia cognitiva. Especialista en estudios políticos. Magíster en psicooncología. Doctora en psicología de la salud.

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Published

2022-10-10 — Updated on 2022-12-10

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Research articles / Original articles

How to Cite

Relationship between empathy, compassion and Burnout in medical students, residents and medical professionals in Medellin. (2022). Revista Logos Ciencia & Tecnología, 14(3), 59-72. https://doi.org/10.22335/rlct.v14i3.1644 (Original work published 2022)